My moon. My glory, my aspect.......my prison. An eternal testament of my failure to control my black emotions and rotted heart, of my failure to listen to my sister, of my failure to my country. But most of all, I failed one of my most important subjects, my unnamed foal I have yet to deliver.
I was looked up to by foals, praised by scholars and astronomers, loved by my sister and consort, respected by my nation and my guards. I was taken care of in the best way possible, shielded from the horror of war by my older sister's radiant wings and warm embraces.
Everything anypony had ever wanted.......and I had thrown it away for Mother knows how long over a stupid squabble based off sibling rivalry. I'd liked my glorious, black night more-ah, look at me. Even surrounded by it, I still refer to my eternal prison as glorious. Hah. But it is much too late to go back now, as I sit here in my moon-dust home on my moon-rock bed, in my small moon-rock and moon-dust town, sitting and shaping it each day in a likeness of my perfect city.
Maybe, if I ever get out of here, I can shrink it and take it home with me. But what am I thinking. I know that banishment spells only fade completely if the caster dies or if the augmenting artifact is smashed, melted, burned, cracked, pounded to dust, or destroyed by any other means. And even though I hate this barren rock that belongs to me, bless my sister's golden heart I hope she lives forever. I don't care if I must sit here day after day, year after year, as millennia slide by and I slide into madness, I will do it if my sister may live.
Even my unborn foal seems to agree with me, as it kicks every time I have this particular thought. And that brings me back to the beginning of my mental tirade: this child. It seems unfair to blame it all on my consort and our child, but as long as there are stars in the sky and the moon continues moving by my prods and nudges, I will live on with it. Lightning Burst and the foal will not, and even now I can see him, curled up on his bed in Cloudsdale, surrounded by black roses and sympathy cards from my sister and his extensive family. A box of chocolates, the box gilded so heavily it could've been sold for an upwards of a thousand bits, lays forgotten in the corner, a now-molded truffle still oozing expensive caramel sauce.
Every day as soon as I am awake, I embark on tangents such as this one into the deepest, darkest, and most importantly, forgotten, memories, reliving them again and again as lost faces float through my mind, as well as odd snippets of Burst's terrible jokes. Oh how I miss him..............
But if I am to give birth on this desolate rock, I will do it in my own way, at a hopefully convenient time, and when I am ready. So far it has been...............nine hundred thirty two years, maybe?It is quite possible it has been, although I am not sure about the date and time anymore. But the baby-she will come soon. Indeed, I am certain of it. I am certain. I am certain. I am-
Lightning Dust looked up from the paper with a shocked expression on her face. It was a birth certificate, officially signed and everything, bearing the seal of the Sun Court. Her golden eyes flickered around the dimly-lit room, taking in the mess of papers spilling from the folder on the mahogany polished table, the darkened corners of the blandly-decorated room, and lastly the midnight blue alicorn sitting across from her.
She licked her lips nervously. "Is............is this true, Princess?"
Luna winced at her official title, recoiling as if it was a physical attack. "Yes. Thy birth certificate tells us the truth about thy birth, Lightning Dust Luminesca-Elcetra."
Lightning copied her biological mother's wince and turned her attention to the papers once again, one of which was her father's will. "It says h-here that f.....f.....father left a Canterlot estate and over a million bits to my name, along with the full inheritance of the House Electra. But if father died so long ago, then how-"
"-was thy family home so carefully preserved?" Luna guessed. "That would be due to Our sister, Celestia. She knew how dear Burst was to me and had been taking care of your family estate since he passed, directly up until the night I imprisoned her in the moon two years ago."
"I see now......I think. But why give me these papers now? I'm financially secure and a weather team manager for Manehattan, I can't just up and move to Canterlot because I found my mother who is ironically the second princess of Equestria." Lightning didn't quite know what to feel, as can be understood from her wording.
The Night Princess sighed and began to clear the table, a soft periwinkle glow surrounding the papers and the folder. She pulled her black hood up over her head and checked to see it was still securely covering her wings before turning to the door. "Very well. I did not wish to disturb you, Lightning Dust. I will be on my way now. Good night and good health."
And with that, she was gone into the dark night.
Celestia met her in the throne room. "You went to speak with her." The white alicorn stated, already knowing the answer she would receive.
"Indeed, dear sister. She refused to accept her family inheritance, therefore you may market it in two days if you wish. I have no use for the property any longer. Good night, sister." And Luna clopped down the hallway toward her bedchambers.
"Oh sister, when will you learn gradually doing anything?" muttered the alicorn of the Sun with a small chuckle as her sister left her vision. "She'll come around."
Meanwhile in Manehattan, Lightning Dust flipped herself on her bed and groaned. She'd had a long day that went something along the lines of: Get kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy, divert a tornado from destroying half the city, and find out she was the daughter of a princess. Instant princess-just add weirdness.
And she was several centuries older than her father even before birth, too. Anything else? Apparently so. She had an estate and millions o bits to her name in Canterlot, along with an official royal status and special treatment for the rest of her life. Sighing, she ran through her day again.............and again.................and again.
An hour later, as the sun graced the eastern horizon with creamy rays of light, Lightning rose and brushed her mane and brushed her teeth almost mechanically, wondering if she'd ever have to do it again after today.
Then she left for Canterlot, at a slow and leisurely pace. She had some papers to sign and an estate to move into. But more importantly, she had a mother-an honest-to-Celestia mother- to love. And she was going to love her.